Blackout 2014: The results

The 2014 Blackout event – in collaboration with the University of Southampton and Students’ Union – has been declared a success with more than 250 students taking part, and a record amount of computers being switched off by students and staff before the event began – showing a progression towards a more energy efficient University.

The annual sustainability event aims to highlight the energy wasted by members of the University as a result of not switching off electrical items when they go home in the evening, and is the largest energy audit of its kind. This year the campuses at Highfield, Avenue and Winchester were involved, as well as the newly opened Boldrewood campus.

Results from the event, which took place on November 14, show that out of all 5,791 University computers, 1,369 were left on; equating to 23.64%. This shows a significant decrease on previous years although still indicates people are forgetting to switch off and save when they have finished using their devices.

It is hoped the annual audit will highlight the amount of energy unnecessarily wasted, in order to encourage people to reduce the University’s level of consumption, as well as the energy bill.

There was clearly an overall improvement, with 25 buildings doing better in 2014 compared with 2013; 1 building staying the same (38, with everything switched off), and 11 doing worse.

Dr Neil Smith, Environment Manager, reminded those who work and study at the University of the importance of the event, in showing how important it is that we routinely switch off devices when they are not in use.

He said: “The Blackout isn’t about one night – it’s about reminding staff and students about the collective impact their actions can have. So now we need everyone to get in the habit of switching off everyday.”

The Blackout team would also like to remind staff about the teams at ServiceLine and iSolutions who are available to provide technical support in order to help computers perform to the best standard possible. These support networks can help to ensure machines switch on quicker, which is sometimes a reason why people opt to leave their PCs on overnight.